Reunions
by Luciana Surana
Summary: The arrival of the Heroes of Ferelden at Skyhold gives the Inquisition the extra help it needed. It also gave the Heroes the reunions they wanted, and some that were unexpected. Old friends and old acquaintances meet once more, and cover old ground, open old wounds. After all, a lot can happen in ten years. (Multi-origin) Reviews are appreciated!
1. The Party Divides

It was a surprise to the entire Inquisition when the Warden Queen and her companions arrived at the gates of Skyhold. In her company were her fellow wardens Ophelia Amell, Athene Mahariel and Luciana Surana. Collectively they were called known as the Heroes of Ferelden in hushed whispers and rumours from those that claimed to see the four women on their travels, searching for a cure for the Calling. Emilia was the only one officially known as the Hero of Ferelden, but it was widely known that she was not alone in defeating the archdemon, nor did she ever claim otherwise, but the name stuck.

Whether any of the four women had been hearing the Calling before Corypheus was information that most were not privy to. Only amongst themselves this information was shared, and those closest to them. In the queen's case, naturally it was the king, and in the case of the elf it was her lover, the spymaster to the Inquisition, unbeknownst to Athene however, Leliana was not the spymaster without good reason.

There was an air of confusion surrounding the four women as they were escorted into the grounds of the keep, those who saw them whispered amongst themselves, questioning the reasons for the presence amongst themselves, others straightening at the sight of the queen despite her blood flecked and dirtied armour, her unwashed hair slicked back into a ponytail. The four entered the hall, where the Inquisitor had been called to meet them.

"As unusual as this is, it is an honour to have you here." Trevelyan spoke, bowing slightly out of respect and in awe of the four eminent women that stood in front of her. The grouping itself was as unusual as their appearance this far away from their home: a queen, a blood mage scholar, a Dalish rebel and an elf that had expanded the knowledge and understanding of the arcane. A rag tag band indeed, and yet they were among the most influential figures in Thedas, alongside the likes of the Champion of Kirkwall. Callisto smiled to herself, noting that the number of powerful women in the world was increasing, and that she was considered one of them. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" She continued politely. The queen was the one that spoke,

"We were informed of your involvement with Corypheus, that the Herald of Andraste is the one that can stop him, and therefore stop the Calling that he has created." Her words were formal and to the point, her presence of calm royalty never faltering, even in the face of Corypheyus' fake Calling. It seemed to be wearing on Ophelia most, her face strained, eyes dark, and her hands seemed to shake ever so slightly. "And seeing as our quest brought us in this direction, it seemed like a logical journey to make if it helps our research."

"That makes a lot of sense, Your Grace. Our hospitality is yours if you wish to have it." The Inquisitor started, at some point Josephine had appeared at her side, ever the diplomat that she was, and appeared to continue talking on Callisto's behalf.

"It would be an honour, we are grateful for your cooperation and willingness in this matter." Again, the queen's words were dripping with formality, and the same level of politeness in her tone as Josephine. The years of experience with nobility was clear in every word she spoke, in front of strangers, at least.

"We will have rooms sorted for you shortly. In the meanwhile, please make yourself familiar with your surroundings, and introduce yourself to those in our company here at Skyhold. If you would return here in an hour, rooms shall be arranged by then." Josephine continued, bowing slightly before retreating, the Inquisitor following her.

"Before you go, can you tell me where I'll find Leliana?" Athene asked, her tone even, only the use of her name as opposed to her title suggested that the two knew each other.

"Of course, it is likely that she will be with the ravens, at the top of the tower by the entrance there." Josephine answered politely, before finally returning to her work. Athene turned on her heel, not bothering to look at the others before beginning her root march in the direction Josephine had told her.

The three, now left to their own devices, exchanged glances, waiting for one of them to suggest what they should do while they waited.

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to see what, and who, is around these premises? I'm almost certain that there is a tavern here, or simply lots of people with flagons, looking slightly worse for wear, in a room with a bard. I certainly could use a drink right now." Emilia suggested, naturally being the first one to speak, the years and the maturity had not made Ophelia any less shy, and hadn't made Luciana much more assertive, as outgoing as she was.

"I can't disagree with that," Luciana replied, with a half-hearted shrug of her shoulders, Ophelia simply nodded in agreement, and with that the three of them walked out of Skyhold's main hall.


	2. Ophelia and Cullen

Ophelia walked along the battlements, the fresh, crisp air washing over her and calming her down. She'd been on the verge of something like a panic attack, _something_ she thought she'd gotten a handle on, something she thought she left behind along with the Blight.

She'd thought wrong.

Though the cool air helped, it cleared her head, and the quieter atmosphere above the hubbub of Skyhold's courtyard put her more at ease. The less people around, the better, at least until she got used to the workings of the Inquisition's forces and the people within it. In that moment, she could have used seeing a familiar face, someone that could help her get her bearings back, just for a little while. She knew Emilia, Luciana and Athene were around somewhere, but they all had obligations to attend to, and she would have felt even worse to interrupt them. She sighed and stopped in her tracks, turning herself fully toward the landscape that spread outside the keep's walls. The snow that covered everything softened and stilled the landscape, washing away the remnants of Ophelia's anxiousness as she focused all her attention onto the world around her, letting its serenity wash over her.

The anxiety subsided the more she focused, paired with the relief that she no longer felt on the verge of suffocating or breaking down in front of hundreds of strangers. She considered her current position, she was with the Inquisition for now, to help with the issue of missing Grey Wardens, she would offer her healing skills to aid the injured and sick. She would make herself useful, and she would get to know the people around here as a result, there was nothing to be worried about, _it's not like today could make me feel any_ _ **worse**_ _, I've already been thrown in at the deep end_ , she thought to herself.

She was ready to move away and return to the courtyard when a voice spoke from her left side,

"Excuse me, I don't think I've seen you here before," They began, a distinctly male and familiar voice to Ophelia, though she couldn't quite identify _how_ she recognised it. She turned her head to put a face to a voice, and when the realisation washed over her, a feeling of dread equally made itself known. _This is going to be awkward_ , she thought, hoping that her face hadn't contorted into an expression he might take offense to.

"Ophelia, is that really you?" Cullen asked.

Cullen had never been very good at disguising any strong emotions, so Ophelia could tell immediately that he was simultaneously confused and happily surprised to see her, and in some odd way Ophelia felt the same.

"What brings you here?" Cullen continued, "I didn't think, well, I didn't think I'd see you again." He admitted, Ophelia remembered his _infatuation_ , that's what it had been called in the Circle, everybody could tell by the way he looked at her.

"I must admit, neither did I." Ophelia's reply was quiet, but audible to Cullen. There was an uneasiness to her words as she remembered their last encounter, and she suspected that Cullen was remembering it, too, as his expression shifted ever so slightly, it almost looked like fear. "I can go if you need me to," Ophelia continued, her mind filled with the image of a tortured and terrified young man, a complete juxtaposition to the person stood in front of her. Though his expression became more like the one that Cullen wore in the Circle, the more his mind ran over the memories of what happened there.

"I'm sorry, I- have to go." His words were rushed, as were his movements, as he turned on his heel and marched away from Ophelia and retreated to his office, slamming the door behind him. Ophelia winced, but she had no grievance with his actions as she remembered _exactly_ what had happened ten years ago.

 _The party walked up to the glowing pillar of light, a man was kneeling within it, muttering to himself. The group came into his view, he stood up, Ophelia's stomach tightened, what had they done to Cullen?_

" _This trick again? I know what you are. It won't work. I will stay strong…" Cullen began, his jaw tense as he spoke_ , _he looked up as Ophelia replied._

" _Cullen! Don't you recognise me?" Her voice pleaded, she cared a great deal for him, and to see him like this, it broke her heart._

" _Only too well, how far they must have delved into my thoughts," His voice was little more than a groan, he was weak, they could all see it. He clasped his hands together, pressing his head against them, was he praying?_

" _The boy is exhausted. And this cage… I've never seen anything like it." Wynne spoke, her concern and pity clear, she continued, her voice soothing. "Rest easy, help is here."_

" _Enough visions. If anything in you is human… kill me now and stop this game." He pleaded as pain coursed through him, whatever they had done to him, they'd made him give up on life itself. It made Ophelia sick to her stomach. "You broke the others, but I will stay strong, for my sake… for theirs." He sobbed, before his voice turned to poison. "Sifting through my thoughts… Tempting me with the one thing I always wanted but could never have… using my shame against me… my ill-advised infatuation with her… a mage of all things." Ophelia's sorrow heightened as he mentioned her, she really had that much sway over him? "I am so tired of these cruel jokes… these tricks… these…"_

" _This is no trick, Cullen. We're here to help." Ophelia said to him, her words angered him as he stood up immediately._

" _Silence!" Boomed his voiced, echoing around the stone walls, "I'll not listen to anything you say. Now, begone!" He shooed his hands at her, his face contorted into an expression of sheer anger, before dropping away to one of confusion. "Still here? But that's always worked before. I close my eyes, but you are still here when I open them."_

" _Makes you wish you hadn't said those thing to her, doesn't it?" Zevran interjected viciously._

" _I am beyond caring what_ _ **you**_ _think. The Maker knows my sin, and I pray that he will forgive me." He spat, the anger in his eyes directed fiercely at Ophelia._

" _There's nothing wrong with liking someone." Ophelia admitted, knotting her hands together in front of her, the way he was glaring unnerved her, he'd only ever looked at her with bashfulness or admiration before now._

" _It was more than just liking you! We... we_ _ **lay**_ _together. Maker forgive me. It was the foolish fancy of a naïve boy. I know better now." They had never spoken about what had happened between them, as much as she had tried to, Cullen had quite literally run away from the issue. So to hear it fall from his lips with such bitterness was painful. "Why have you returned to the tower? How did you survive?"_

" _Is it so surprising that I returned? This was my home."_

" _As it was_ _ **mine**_ _. And look, look what they've done to it. They deserve to die. Uldred most of all. They caged us like animals… looked for ways to break us. I'm the only one left. They turned some into… monsters. There was nothing I could do."_

" _You must stay strong." Ophelia made an attempt at comforting him, but it was thrown back in her face._

" _And to think I once thought we were too hard on you."_

" _We're not all evil, Cullen."_

" _Only mages have that much power at their fingertips. Only mages are so susceptible to the infernal whisperings of the demons."_

" _ **This**_ _is a discussion for another time." Wynne interrupted, her tone scolding, it softened as she continued. "Irving and the other mages who fought Uldred. Where are they?"_

" _They are in the Harrowing Chamber. The sounds coming out from there… oh, Maker…"_

" _We must hurry. They are in grave danger. I am sure of it." Wynne's rationality took over as she spoke._

" _You can't save them!" Cullen shouted, "You don't know what they've become."_

" _But I'm a mage too, Cullen." Ophelia said sadly, looking at the countenance of a man she once knew._

" _But you haven't been up there! You haven't been under their influence. They've been surrounded b-by blood mages," The way his words tripped over maleficarum socked Ophelia in the stomach, she was a maleficar, just another reason for Cullen to hate her, "whose wicked fingers snake into your mind and corrupt your thoughts." She swallowed drily, she knew that the nature of her magic was something she would have to hide for the rest of her life._

" _His hatred of mages is so intense, the memory of his friends deaths is still fresh in his mind." Luciana said softly._

" _You have to end it now, before it's too late."_

" _I want to save everyone who can possibly be saved." Ophelia stated._

" _Are you really saving anyone by taking this risk? To ensure this horror is ended… to guarantee that no abominations or blood mages live, you must kill everyone up there." The certainty in Cullen's words terrified her. She was sure that he would have her killed along with them given the chance._

She shook the memory out of her head, realising that she wasn't the only one who wanted to forget what happened in the Circle, and that she wasn't the only one who'd come out with fresh scars in their mind. Thinking back, it was no wonder Cullen reacted to her the way he did, she couldn't even begin to imagine what they'd done to him, but whatever it was, it affected him to his day. But there was nothing she could do, she couldn't apologise to him, talking to him would only make things _worse_. A part of her thought that in another lifetime, had she not fallen for Zevran, she might have still felt something for Cullen, but all she felt was pity. What happened had not been her fault, and she could not help Cullen. So she walked away.


	3. Luciana and Sera

It didn't take long for them to find the tavern Emilia thought she had seen, as she said, a bard could be heard from inside, and there was a man stumbling out through the door, his footing wobbly as he walked away. Outside there stood a dwarven woman, who they found out was a scout for the Inquisition, Harding, she said her name was. They had a brief conversation, talking about locations that the Inquisitor had journeyed to, and any potential leads on the whereabouts of the Grey Wardens, which Emilia vowed that they would return to at a later time.

They entered the tavern, the chatter unsurprisingly didn't stop or falter at their presence, which was usually the reception any of the group received individually, and even more so when they were together. But here, people simply carried on, not ignoring them as such, as a few patrons glanced up at them, simply given the extraordinary circumstances that faced the entirety of Thedas, such company wasn't as unusual as all that. Emilia walked straight up to the bar, her behaviour and mannerisms, and her order of the strongest whisky the barkeep possessed, would deter anyone from thinking of her as the queen of Ferelden, and by her nonchalance, it didn't seem that she cared much. She certainly enjoyed being queen, but with the added strain of what appeared to be the Calling, and their fruitless search up until now, her royal duties preyed on her mind less.

Luciana noticed Ophelia tense up out of the corner of her eye, despite the lack of attention they were receiving, the environment clearly was still making her anxious. Luciana gave her forearm a concerned squeeze and murmured,

"You don't have to stay if this is making you uncomfortable. Go and get some fresh air, and we'll meet up later." Ophelia gave a small look of worried thanks before hurrying out of the tavern. When she looked back up, she noticed a large qunari sat in the corner, his eyes flicked away as soon as Luciana registered him, and he began talking to the man sat next to him. She noted his nonchalance, but she knew that he had been looking at them, _Maker knows why_ , Luciana thought, _Ophelia is a beautiful woman_. Her thoughts were sharply interrupted by the sudden break in the bard's music, followed by a small scuffle with her lute as discordant twangs temporarily filled the air. She had been playing a cheerful song about a girl named Sera, Luciana had quite liked it, but clearly someone objected to it as she then heard the exclamation,

"Stop with that shite, yeah? It's creepy." _Creepy?_ Luciana thought, she turned her attention to where the commotion was coming from, and saw the bard looking somewhat distressed as a tall, blonde elven girl appeared to hold her lute hostage. "Play something normal, you singers have enough songs to choose from." She continued, the bard nodded hastily, hands possessively reaching out to try and claim back her prized instrument. "Play it again and this stringy shit gets it," She continued before almost throwing the lute back at the bard, who cradled the instrument in relief. Luciana chuckled to herself as the scene unravelled before her, the elf looked across at her and saw her smiling inanely, "Don't tell me you _liked_ that song." She said with disgust, crossing her arms and walking over to Luciana.

"It sounded pleasant enough, but you must have a real problem with it, I suppose?"

"Well yeah, _I'm_ Sera." She said, as if it were obvious.

"Ah, well, yeah okay, I see your issue now." Luciana chuckled. Sera looked behind Luciana quickly,

"So, I see miss elfy bits here is with the queen, and what brings you lot here?" She asked,

"Emilia and the others have come to advise the Inquisitor on the Grey Warden issue, and Emilia will also be helping with other political issues the Inquisition faces."

"Oh yeah? What about you then?" Sera continued, almost trying to tease an answer out of Luciana.

"Well, I'm not a Grey Warden, but I've been helping them on their journey, and I've been researching the Arcane arts along the way too. But as soon as the rifts began to open up, I turned my attention to studying the art of, well, _rift magic_. So I help in that respect." She said with a shrug. Sera's eyes ran over Luciana interrogatively,

"You're not Dalish, are you?"

"No, I was born in an alienage."

"Thank god for that! Imagine, a pretty elf walks in and she's all… _elfy_ , ugh!" Sera exclaimed, her hands making wide gestures as she spoke. Luciana couldn't help but smile at Sera's remarks,

"Pretty, am I?" She folded her arms, the smile transformed into a mischievous smirk,

"Friggin pretty if you ask me." Sera said, her words more certain. "Well, I've got… business to get on with, but I'll see you again, yeah?" She scratched the back of her head, walking backwards slowly before turning around and running at breakneck speed out of the tavern. Luciana chuckled and shook her head at the strange encounter with the strange elf called Sera, before walking up to the bar and taking the seat beside Emilia.

"Found a new friend, have we?" Emilia asked,

"Perhaps," Her smile widened.

"So, she thinks you're pretty? Next thing you know the pair of you will be getting married," Emilia joked.

"Emilia! You don't even _know_ if she likes women- oh, _oh_. You were joking." The tips of her ears turned a lovely shade of pink.

"And somehow, I think _you_ weren't." Emilia finished with a wink.


	4. Luciana and Sera II

Since first meeting her in the tavern, Luciana had been drawn to Sera, making constant excuses to go and talk to her. She was unashamed of her advances, and Sera seemed to appreciate them greatly, reciprocating with her own. The spark between the two was palpable, the intensity of their gazes only grew the more time they spent together, and while their interactions had only been platonic, they were both aware of the direction it was headed in. A few drunken nights had led the elves to divulging each of their deepest secrets, experiences the pair found cathartic, and that brought them closer together. Though Luciana's admittance of a previous relationship with Ophelia didn't sit quite right with Sera, given their continued closeness. Luciana assured her that it was long behind them, that they cared for each other as friends and nothing more, Sera was still suspicious of the fact, but gave her the benefit of the doubt.

It had taken a while, but Sera finally suggested they do something like a date, so that people knew who was with the 'fittest elf around'. Luciana couldn't have been more excited at the prospect, the date and time locked in her mind, and knowing Sera the date would be an unorthodox venture, possibly involving bees, or beetles, or water or loud noises, Luciana smiled at the premise.

The day of the date, Luciana found herself unable to concentrate on any tasks, nerves setting in where they had never before. Perhaps due to the unknown parameters of Sera's 'date', or maybe it had been so long since anyone had made her _feel_ this way. In either case, her hands were shaking and she felt nauseous, she almost wished that it was over and done with so she could stop feeling so _sick_. The night came, and Luciana had changed into the outfit that Sera had commented was her favourite, she brushed invisible dirt off her trousers before making her way to find Sera. Before she had left Skyhold's main building, she was met by Zevran, with a murderous gaze in his eyes. She placed a hand on his arm, concerned about the reason he looked that way. A memory came to her of Ophelia, she had seen her in passing with watery eyes, so she asked him,

"Zevran. I saw Ophelia, she looked upset earlier, is she okay?" Concern washed over her face as she spoke, Zevran's features on the other hand, were unchanging.

"If you could retrieve something hot to drink, and perhaps something to eat, that would be good. Perhaps you could stay with her too? She is not well." His words were solemn, a shot of worry ran through her as she listened to him, before the realisation of a conflict of interests. But seeing the intensity of Zevran's glare, she had to help Ophelia, something was clearly very wrong.

"Of course, I'll see right to it." Her tone was one of resignation, she felt awful leaving Sera, but she knew how bad Ophelia could get, and for Zevran to look like this. She cursed herself for her decision, but there was a possibility that she didn't have to do much, and that she could still catch Sera. She hoped that was the case. She dipped her head towards Zevran before walking away with long strides, finding one of the people around who would be able to fetch food and something hot to drink, and she told them where to bring it to, before heading there herself. She knocked gently on the door before opening it and stepping in, to see Ophelia half sat up in bed, her eyes closed, hands bandaged. She rushed to her side, "Ophelia?" Her voice barely above a whisper. No response. She laid a gentle hand on her forehead before speaking louder and more clearly, "Ophelia, love, wake up." Her eyes opened, "Someone is bringing a meal for you, and some tea. Ophelia, what _happened_?" She just shook her head,

"Not now, please." Luciana brushed Ophelia's pale orange locks away from her face,

"Alright, as you say." She replied, letting her hand drop to her side before stepping away from the bed, Ophelia's eyes widened.

"Don't leave." She pleaded, her bottom lip wobbling ever so slightly. As Luciana lowered herself onto the chair next to the bed, Ophelia exhaled before shuffling lower in the bed until she was lying flat. "Thank you, Luciana." She murmured, reaching for her hand with her own before her eyes closed. Guilt washed over Luciana at her decision, but her hand had been forced, talking to Zevran with that level of anger coursing through him was a decision anyone could see was bad. _She's asleep now, you don't have to stay!_ She thought to herself, she slid her hand out from underneath Ophelia's, before hopping out of the chair and rushing to the door, a hopeful smile playing at her lips.

* * *

Sera had long awaited the day of her first proper romantic venture with Luciana, she was so _ready_ for it, and she hoped that Luciana would love it as much as she was going to. The night approached, and Sera waited in the place she had told Luciana to meet her, outside the tavern.

At first, the butterflies in her stomach were uncontrollable, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet as she waited for Luciana to arrive. But as the time passed, and she was still nowhere to be seen, the excitement turned to concern, before changing again to anger. She waited for Luciana until all the light left the sky, and everything was illuminated gently by the stars.

She was just about to give up and turn in when she saw Luciana's silhouette slowly running towards her.

"I'm so sorry, Sera." She puffed as she reached her, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Something that important, yeah." Sera scoffed, and to her surprise Luciana looked _ashamed_.

"I- I was put in a difficult position."

"Where were you then?" Silence lapsed before Luciana answered.

"With Ophelia, I brought her food and drink. She was... she wasn't feeling well." It felt like a punch to the stomach.

"Right, so you're in the room of the person you used to sleep with. At night. Panting with red cheeks, and you want me to just, what? Roll over and let you scratch my belly? Would you like that?" Sera's words were angry, her hands clenched into fists. The guilt on Luciana's face seemed to intensify.

"Sera, I care about you, I do. Zevran's eyes screamed bloody murder, I had to see what had happened." Sera rolled her eyes and stormed off, Luciana trailing behind her. ." Sera rolled her eyes and stormed off, Luciana trailing behind her. When they reached Sera's room, Luciana tried to appeal to her again, "Sera please." She turned sharply towards her, grabbed Luciana's face and pulled her into an aggressive kiss before letting her go.

"Now shite off!" Sera shouted, picking up a book and throwing at her head, Luciana ducked just in time, before taking the hint and backing out of the doorway.

She allowed herself to smile as she walked downstairs to the bar, knowing that she was falling harder for Sera with every breath she took.


	5. Athene and Leliana

Even with eyes and ears scattered across Thedas, Leliana had been told little about her lover in the years she'd spent searching for a cure for the Grey Warden curse: the Calling. It infuriated her. She was the spymaster, it was her _job_ , and it was very much in her nature, she was one of the best spies on the continent, so why was locating Athene so difficult?

The queen had kept correspondence with her on their journeys, and she would mention Athene in every letter, but the four had seemingly become an elusive group of nomads, travelling further west than most dared to explore. The thought concerned her greatly, but then again, three of them were Grey Wardens, and Luciana an eminent arcane mage, she could not think of a group of women better equipped to defend themselves. Emilia had written that they were returning east, having had no success in that direction, and with the disappearance of almost all other Grey Wardens in Ferelden, Leliana reached out to her, she had been their commander, after all.

Queen Cousland was the one who held the title of Hero of Ferelden, while Ophelia, Luciana and Athene played their parts in ending the Blight, with Andromeda even giving her life for the cause, Emilia had been given the mantle. None of the others seemed to mind, particularly, they didn't want the people's attention, and seeing as she declared herself queen at the Landsmeet and married Alistair not long after, she was already known to the people of Ferelden, it made sense for her to be the figurehead of the Grey Wardens. As noble as that cause seemed, they all knew that the true reason was that she was the most palatable figure to be their hero. Amongst a maleficar, a Dalish elf, an apostate mage and martyred city elf, a human from respected nobility was the safe bet.

Emilia accepted her friend's request of counsel at Skyhold, on the condition that there was room for the others, too. Leliana guaranteed that the Inquisition would extend its hospitality to their shared friends, including her lover, Athene. The thought of seeing her after all this time invigorated her, she thanked the Maker for making it so, and prayed to Him that their journey would be swift and safe.

It took less time than Leliana anticipated for them to be found in mapped territories of Thedas, being informed only days after that they were in Val Royeaux. From there she was able to estimate when they would arrive at Skyhold, she was correct.

Leliana was in the rookery the day they arrived, sending letters far and wide across Thedas. Letters to allies, conciliatory letters to disgruntled lesser nobles, receiving reports from her spies, it was simply another day working as the spymaster of the Inquisition.

Athene had made efforts to dismiss herself from her friends' company with great haste, she cared a great deal for her companions, yes, but the desperation to see Leliana now that she was _here_ was overwhelming. Creators be damned if anyone was going to delay her any further. She marched her way through Skyhold's main building, up the spiralling tower, ignoring the strange hairless elf she passed on her way. Her pace didn't change until she reached the top level, greeted first by the cawing of the immense, inky ravens. She climbed the final stairs, and saw a cloaked figure leaning over a tall bench, scrawling with incredible pace on parchment. Athene cleared her throat, causing the ravens to caw louder, Leliana turned around with a start, eyes wide, when she registered who she was looking at, the quill tumbled from her fingers.

"Thank you, Maker," She breathed before striding towards Athene and wrapping her arms around her, Athene followed suit, burying her head in Leliana's neck, now made visible as the hood fell away.

"Creators, I missed you," Athene whispered, breathing in her lightly flowered scent. Before Leliana, Athene had taken a very nonchalant attitude towards everyone she met, even to those in her clan. Nobody had entered her life that had made her heart soar, her friends in the clan had attempted to draw her attention to the most eligible men in their clan. Some of the hunters went out of their way to give her offerings, in an attempt to _woo_ her, but she had found herself more interested in the first of their clan, Merrill. It was only after meeting the redheaded sister in Lothering that her world shifted, not only was she going against the Dalish ways, feeling affection for a shem, but a _woman_ no less. She'd been angry at herself, at Leliana, too, for making her feel this way. But now, she knew how much of a joy it was to love, and to love Leliana in particular.

Neither of them had admitted the fact, but they had both prayed for someone to come to them, to help them make sense of it all, a friend, a companion. Their prayers had been answered.

The two held the embrace for a long time, not wanting to let go, the contact of their bodies on each other sent hot fire through both of them. Oh how they had _missed_ this. In the back of Leliana's mind, insidious thoughts tried to crawl in, break her faith and her spirit, it told her that what she had wouldn't last. She shoved it down, they had defied all odds for ten years, and they would continue to do so until the end of their days, until the end of Athene's. The remembrance of Athene's condition darkened her heart as she continued holding her, Athene's days were numbered, suddenly the missing of the past three years fell on her shoulders.

She held Athene tighter, tears rolling down her cheeks, "Maker preserve you, my love."

"I will always be with you, Leliana, my heart, it is yours."

In that moment, her words were all Leliana needed.


	6. Author's Update

**Author's Update: Hi guys! I know it's been a while, a _long_ while, really. I haven't abandoned these stories! I am still very much invested in the characters and their journeys, I just lost steam towards the end of the summer, and now being back at uni it's harder to fit in time to write. But I promise that the unfinished stories here _WILL_ get finished, they deserve that much. I also have many more exciting ideas, now it's just a game of being able to fit it around reading and assignments. Thank you for your support up until this point, and I hope I still have it in the future :-)**


End file.
